1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna holder for use in connection with antennas mounted on vehicles. The antenna holder has particular utility in connection with a citizens band antenna mounted to a recreational vehicle in combination with brake lights and turn signal lights.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Antenna holders are desirable to assist in the addition of an antenna to a vehicle. After-market radios requiring antennas are often added to vehicles, and selecting an easy and effective place to mount the antenna is difficult. It is desirable to mount the antenna in a location that requires a minimal amount of vehicle modification and does not interfere with the views of the traffic available to the driver. Multiple antennas for citizen band and ham radios may be required and such antennas can distract from the driver view of traffic or may obscure some part of the visual field in available from the mirrors. The present invention allows the use of multiple antennas without obstructing the visual field of the driver and by the addition of lights to the antenna holder actually increases driver sensitivity to the location of the blind. The present invention also increases vehicle awareness to other vehicles especially from the rear of the vehicle by signaling both braking and turning.
The use of antenna holders is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,643 to Garlow discloses a radio antenna with a directional signal light for the front of a vehicle that gives an indication of direction from the front of the vehicle. However, the Garlow ""643 patent does not have a brake light visible from the rear of the vehicle or a turn signal visible from the rear of the vehicle.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,402,395 to Cohen discloses an antenna with a fender guide for indicating where objects are with respect to the front fenders. However, the Cohen ""395 patent does not disclose either a turn signal light or a brake light and his device does not make the vehicle more visible from the back at night.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,430,772 to Dalton discloses an extendible radio antenna with a locator light that gives an oncoming car visual feedback of vehicle location on the far side of obstructions or hills during approach. However, the Dalton ""772 patent does not increase vehicle visibility from the rear, or signal braking or turns from the rear.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an antenna holder that allows an antenna to be mounted in combination with brake lights and turn signal lights visible from the rear of the vehicle. The Garlow patent makes no provision for brake lights visible from the rear of the vehicle to determine the extent of the blind spot and his device did not make the vehicle more readily seen from the rear. The Cohen patent makes no provisions for signal turns, braking lights or make the vehicle more readily seen at night. The Dalton patent also does not increase vehicle visibility from the rear, or signal braking or turns visible from the rear of the vehicle.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved antenna holder that can be used for mounting antennas to vehicles in combination with brake lights visible from the rear and turn signal lights visible from the rear. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the citizen band antenna holder according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of antenna holder in combination with brake lights and turn signal lights.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of antenna holders now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an antenna holder, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved citizen band antenna holder and method which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in an antenna holder which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises an antenna holder attached to a brake light, a brake light electrical connection, having a brake signal receiving and a brake signal sending end, the brake signal receiving end being adapted for electrical connection to the vehicle electrical system and the brake signal sending end being connected to the brake light to enable the brake light to be responsive to the brake light electrical connection.
Also attached to the antenna holder is a turn signal light visible from the rear of the vehicle, a turn signal light electrical connection, having a turn signal receiving and a turn signal sending end, said turn signal receiving end being adapted for electrical connection to the vehicle electrical system and said turn signal sending end being connected to said turn signal light to enable said turn signal light to be responsive to said turn signal electrical connection.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include holders adapted to be mounted on each opposite side of said vehicle, red brake and stop lights, and lights being incandescent fuse lamps, vacuum fluorescent, micro-incandescent, light emitting diodes or light pipes, the pipes may be made out of steel, aluminum or fiber reinforced plastics, and may have entrances and exits for the wiring associated with the invention. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved citizen band antenna holder that has all of the advantages of the prior art antenna holders and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved citizen band antenna holder that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved citizen band antenna holder that is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even farther object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved citizen band antenna holder which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such citizen band antenna holder economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new citizen band antenna holder which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a citizen band antenna holder for antenna holder in combination with brake lights and turn signal lights that provides a safe and stable means of mounting the antenna.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a citizen band antenna holder for antenna holder in combination with brake lights and turn signal lights that makes determining the location of the drivers blind spot much easier.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a citizen band antenna holder for antenna holder in combination with brake lights and turn signal lights that provides brake lights that are clearly visible to other motorists to the rear and rear sides of the vehicle.
Still even another object of the present invention is to provide a citizen band antenna holder for antenna holder in combination with brake lights and turn signal lights that increases night time visibility to other motorists.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved citizen band antenna holder that signals both braking and turning and which is clearly visible from the rear and side of the vehicle.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.